Skip to main content
This genus is accepted, and its native range is Cosmopolitan.
Lepidium (Brassicaceae)

[FTEA]

Cruciferae, Bengt Jonsell (University of Stockholm). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1982

Morphology General Habit
Annual or perennial, small to medium-sized herbs or subshrubs with a taproot, often finely pubescent with unicellular simple hairs
Morphology Stem
Stems erect or ascending, sometimes procumbent, freely branched
Morphology Leaves
Leaves membranous or coriaceous, simple to pinnatipartite
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes terminal or axillary, ebracteate, densely corymbose, with numerous small to minute flowers, in fruit narrowly cylindrical, contracted or elongate but usually rather dense
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals elliptic, not saccate, greenish
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals usually whitish, somewhat longer or shorter than the sepals, often even lacking
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 6, 4 or 2, median and/or lateral ones reduced; filaments usually linear to subulate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
Nectarial glands usually 6 or 4, adjacent to the bases of the lateral filaments
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary flat, dorsiventrally compressed, elliptic in outline; ovules 2
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a silicula, dehiscent, strongly compressed, narrowly septate, usually orbicular to elliptic in outline, entire or winged (especially distally), with the short style in an apical notch
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds single in each locule, very finely reticulate, mucilaginous, usually reddish brown, rather flat, elliptic to obovate in outline, sometimes narrowly and unilaterally winged.

[FZ]

Cruciferae, A. W. Exell. Flora Zambesiaca 1:1. 1960

Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary 2-ovulate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a silicule with keeled or winged valves.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds usually 1 in each loculus, pendent from the apex.
Morphology General Habit
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs, occasionally somewhat shrubby, glabrous or with simple hairs, usually with a slender tap-root.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves entire to pinnate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, whitish, in terminal and axillary, ebracteate racemes.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals not saccate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 4, sometimes vestigial or O. Stamens 2, 4 or 6.

[FZ]

Cruciferae, A. W. Exell. Flora Zambesiaca 1:1. 1960

Morphology General Habit
Annual, biennial or perennial herbs usually ± pilose with simple hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves pinnatisect or entire.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, whitish, in terminal racemes which appear to be leaf-opposed owing to sympodial growth.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals ± spreading, not saccate.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals 4 or O. Stamens 6, 5, 4 or 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary with 2 ovules.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit 2-lobed, dividing vertically into 1-seeded halves.

[FTEA]

Cruciferae, Bengt Jonsell (University of Stockholm). Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1982

Morphology General Habit
Annual to perennial low herbs with a taproot, glabrous or with fine, often papillose, simple hairs
Morphology Stem
Stems often several, prostrate, ascending or erect, with numerous branches often overtopping the racemes
Morphology Leaves
Leaves thin, entire to bipinnate
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Racemes numerous, ebracteate, often supra-axillary and leaf-opposed because of sympodial shoot growth, small and densely corymbose with numerous minute flowers; in fruit narrowly cylindrical and rather dense
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Sepals spreading, rather flat, elliptic, greenish with white or reddish margins
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Petals whitish, somewhat longer or shorter than the petals, or lacking
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens 6, 4 or 2, with linear or basally widened filaments
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Nectaries
Nectarial glands tubercle-shaped to elongate, sometimes lacking
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary flat, dorsiventrally compressed, with 2 ovules and short to rudimentary style
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Fruit a silicula, compressed, ± transversely elliptic in outline, didymous, i.e. divided along the very narrow septum into 2 rounded halves, which are usually spread as 1-seeded nutlets (outside E. Africa sometimes with completely indehiscent siliculae)
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds flattened, orange to reddish brown, elliptic in outline.

Native to:

Afghanistan, Alabama, Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Algeria, Altay, Angola, Antipodean Is., Argentina Northeast, Argentina Northwest, Argentina South, Arizona, Arkansas, Assam, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Baleares, Baltic States, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Bolivia, Botswana, Brazil Northeast, Brazil South, Brazil Southeast, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, California, Canary Is., Cape Provinces, Cayman Is., Central European Rus, Chad, Chatham Is., Chile Central, Chile North, Chile South, China North-Central, China South-Central, China Southeast, Colombia, Colorado, Connecticut, Cook Is., Corse, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Delaware, Denmark, District of Columbia, Dominican Republic, East Aegean Is., East European Russia, East Himalaya, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Falkland Is., Finland, Florida, France, Free State, Galápagos, Georgia, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Guatemala, Gulf States, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, Hungary, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Inner Mongolia, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Irkutsk, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Juan Fernández Is., Kansas, Kazakhstan, Kentucky, Kenya, Kermadec Is., Khabarovsk, Kirgizstan, Korea, Krasnoyarsk, Kriti, Krym, Kuwait, KwaZulu-Natal, Labrador, Lebanon-Syria, Leeward Is., Lesotho, Lesser Sunda Is., Libya, Line Is., Louisiana, Madagascar, Madeira, Maine, Manchuria, Manitoba, Marquesas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mauritania, Mexican Pacific Is., Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Northeast, Mexico Northwest, Mexico Southeast, Mexico Southwest, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mongolia, Montana, Morocco, Mozambique, Mozambique Channel I, Namibia, Nebraska, Nepal, Netherlands, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Caledonia, New Guinea, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New South Wales, New York, New Zealand North, New Zealand South, Newfoundland, Nicaragua, Norfolk Is., North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northern Provinces, Northern Territory, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Norway, Nova Scotia, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oman, Ontario, Oregon, Pakistan, Palestine, Panamá, Paraguay, Pennsylvania, Peru, Pitcairn Is., Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Prince Edward I., Puerto Rico, Qinghai, Queensland, Québec, Rhode I., Romania, Sakhalin, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Saudi Arabia, Sicilia, Sinai, Society Is., South Australia, South Carolina, South Dakota, South European Russi, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tadzhikistan, Tanzania, Tasmania, Tennessee, Texas, Tibet, Tokelau-Manihiki, Transcaucasus, Trinidad-Tobago, Tuamotu, Tubuai Is., Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Turkmenistan, Turks-Caicos Is., Tuva, Uganda, Ukraine, Uruguay, Utah, Uzbekistan, Venezuela, Venezuelan Antilles, Vermont, Victoria, Virginia, Wake I., Washington, West Himalaya, West Siberia, West Virginia, Western Australia, Windward Is., Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yemen, Yugoslavia, Yukon, Zambia, Zaïre, Zimbabwe

Introduced into:

Amsterdam-St.Paul Is, Amur, Ascension, Bermuda, Brazil West-Central, Burkina, Cape Verde, Caroline Is., Central African Repu, Chita, Cocos (Keeling) Is., Desventurados Is., Easter Is., French Guiana, Guinea, Gulf of Guinea Is., India, Jawa, Kamchatka, Kerguelen, Magadan, Mali, Marcus I., Marianas, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Ogasawara-shoto, Philippines, Rodrigues, Rwanda, Réunion, Selvagens, Sri Lanka, St.Helena, Suriname, Taiwan, Tonga, Tristan da Cunha, Western Sahara

Lepidium L. appears in other Kew resources:

First published in Sp. Pl.: 643 (1753)

Accepted by

  • Al-Shehbaz, I.A. (2010). A synopsis of the South American Lepidium (Brassicaceae) Darwiniana 48: 141-167.
  • Jalas, J., Suominen, J. & Lampinen, R. (eds.) (1996). Atlas Florae Europaeae. Distribution of vascular plants in Europe 11: 1-310.

Literature

Flora of West Tropical Africa

  • —F.T.A. 1: 68.

Flora Zambesiaca

  • Gen. Pl. ed. 5: 291 (1754).
  • Sp. Pl. 2: 643 (1753)

Flora of Tropical East Africa

  • L., Gen. Pl., ed. 5: 291 (1754)
  • Sp. Pl.: 644 (1753)
  • Thell., Die Gattung Lepidium (1906)

Flora Zambesiaca
Flora Zambesiaca
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Flora of Tropical East Africa
Flora of Tropical East Africa
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

Kew Backbone Distributions
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone
The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families 2021. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/
© Copyright 2017 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

Neotropikey
Milliken, W., Klitgard, B. and Baracat, A. (2009 onwards), Neotropikey - Interactive key and information resources for flowering plants of the Neotropics.
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0